Sharpening device for knives and the like.



W. H. WHITCOMB.

'SHARPENING DEVICE FOR KNIVES AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.13. 1914.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

I711) emf. 4',

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAFH CO., WASHINGTON. D. C.

WWI/asses.

SATES SHARPENING DEVICE FOR KNIVES AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 29-, 1916.

Application filed November 13, 1914'. Serial in. 872,028.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. WHIT- oows, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newton, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sharpening Devices for Knives and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in sharpening devices for knives and the like.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, durable sharpening device for knives, I said device having coe'perating sharpening member's arranged substantially parallel to each other, but capable of being moved while in such parallel relation toward and from each other. Furthermore, if desired, said members may be adjusted at the will of the operator to occupy varying angular positions relatively to each other in order to facilitate the sharpeninglof knives having blades difiering in thickness and in the inclination of the bevels which form their cutting edges.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of a device embodying the preferred form of my invention. side elevation of the same illustrating in dotted lines other positions which the parts of the device may occupy. Fig. 3'is a transverse section of one of the fingers of the device, said section being taken on the line 3'3 of Fig; 1. Fig. a is a plan view of a. modified form of knife sharpener. Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 55 of Fig. 4". Fig. 6 is a side elevation of still another modification of my invention.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In the drawings, 8 and 9'represent a pair of parallelly disposed cooperating members, each of said members preferably consisting of a set of fingers 10, said sets of fingers being arranged in staggered relation relatively toeach other, that is to say, the fingers of the member 9 are provided withintervening Fig. 2isa" spaces 11 through which the fingers of the member 8 are adapted to be moved, while the member 8 is likewise provided with spaces 12 for receiving the fingers of the memher 9. I

The members 8 and 9 are connected to gether'by a resilient sinuously formed member 13 constituting a spring, said spring being arranged at one end of said members and permitting said members either to be moved in parallel relation by the compres sion or extension of said spring toward and from each other, or said spring is adapted to permit said members 8 and 9 to" occupy varying angular positions relatively to each other. Said spring serves as a pivot for said members when the same are moved to occupy thelast mentioned positions.

The members 8 and 9 are'pref'erably constructed of sheet metal and formed integral with the spring 13. faces of said members 8 and 9 are roughened whereby a knife inserted between said faces, as indicated awn Figs. 1 and 2, and reciprocated transversely of the fingers 10 will be ground off and sharpened.

To best accomplish the roughening of the inner faces of the members 8 and 9 said members are provided with longitudinally disposed dovetailed grooves 15 formed by turning inwardly portions of the sheet metal constituting the members 8 and 9 a form the intervening spaces 11 and 12, and into the grooves 15 are inserted sections of sharpening material 16, said sections being beveled at the sides to fit the dovetailed grooves 15 The outer surfaces 17 of the members 8 and 9 are also roughened preferably by means of longitudinal corrugations 18,v see Figs. 1 and 3.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate a modified form of sharpenei in which form parallelly disposed members 19 and 20 are provided having fingers 21 similar to the fingers 10, as shown in Fig. 1, said members 19 and 20 being connected by a resilient member or spring 22 which instead of being integral with the members 19 and'20 is formed of sheet metal and attached to said members, which are preferably formed of wood; The ends oflthe spring 22 are formedinto pockets 23" which The inner adj acent receive the ends of the members 19 and 20, while spurs 24: are formed by partially detaching portions of the metal constituting said spring which spurs are driven into the wood wherever desired, preferably at the end of said members 19 and 20 and secure said spring thereto. The adjacent faces 25, 25 and the outer faces 26 of the members 19 and 20 may be roughened preferably by securing thereto an abrasive substance, such as emery.

In Fig. 6 still another form of device is illustrated. In this form the parallelly disposed members 19 and 20 are preferably identical in form and construction with those illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, but in this form said members are connected together by springs 27 and 28, preferably formed of wire, with spurs 29 at suitable points and preferably constructed of the same material which constitutes securing means to be driven into the wood constituting the members 19 and 20. Said springs are bent intermediate their ends into coils 31 to permit said parallel members to be moved toward and away from each other.

To operate the devices hereinbefore specifically described the operator holds the sharpener at points B and Ctand inserts a knife A, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. Pressure is then applied at the points B and C causing the members 8 and 9 to be moved toward each other to yieldingly engage opposite sides of the blade adjacent the cutting edge. The knife is then reciprocated transversely of the fingers 10 until the knife has been sharpened sufliciently. To vary the angle of the bevels forming the cutting edge of said knife, the members 8 and 9 may be moved to occupy different angular positions relatively to each other, orin other words, cause the plane containing the faces 14 to intersect each other at difierent distances from the ends of said members 8 and 9. The surfaces 14: may be rougher, if desired, than the surfaces 17 or vice versa and after the knife A has been reciprocated between the surfaces 14;, the members 8 and 9 may be moved to cocupy the position shown in dotted lines Fig. 2, and the knife placed, as shown at D and reciprocated as before, whereupon a finer and smoother cutting edgemay be secured.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire by Letters Patent to se cure is:

l. A knife sharpener comprising cooperating sharpening members, the adjacent faces of said members being roughened, and resilient means arranged to connect said members together and adapted to permit said members to bemoved in parallel relation toward and from each other.

2. A knife sharpener comprising cooperating sharpening members, and means connecting said members together adapted to permit the connected portions of said mem bers to be moved toward and from each other,

said means also being adapted to permit a pivotal movement between said members.

3. A knife sharpener comprising a plu rality of sets of parallelly disposed members having roughened adjacent surfaces, resilient means connecting said sets of members together and adapted to permit said sets to be yieldingly moved toward and from each other, said resilient means also being adapted to permit said sets to occupy Varying angular positions relatively to each other.

4. A knife sharpener comprising paral means on said members adapted to sharpen a knlfe.

6. A knife sharpener comprising two parallelly disposed sets of members, the members of one of said sets being arranged in staggered relation to those of the other set, resilient connecting means for said sets adapted to permit said sets to be moved in parallel relation toward and from each other and to occupy varying angular positions relatively to each other, the adjacent and outermost facesof the members of said sets being roughened and adapted to sharpen a knife.

7 A knife sharpener comprising a pair of parallelly disposed sets of fingers constructed of sheet metal and bent to form dovetailed grooves, the fingers in one of said sets being arranged in staggered relation to those of the other, sections of sharpening material adapted to fit said dovetailed grooves, and resilient means-interposed between and connecting said sets.

8. A knife sharpener comprising a pair of parallelly disposed sets of fingers, the fingers in one of said sets being arranged in staggered relation to those of the other set, the adjacent and outer portions of said fingers having roughened faces adapted to sharpen a knife, and means integral with both of said sets of fingers constructed and arranged to permit the fingers of said sets to be moved in parallel relation toward and from each other or to occupy varying angu- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set lar positions with the fingers of one of said my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- I sets passing through intervening spaces in nesses.

the other of said sets, whereby a knife may WILLIAM H. WHITGOMB. 5 be yieldingly held in contact with either the Witnesses:

adjacent faces of said sets or the outer faces CHARLES S. GOODING,

thereof. SYDNEY E. TAFT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

